Essentium, Inc. has announced the launch of Duratem, what it says is the 3D printing industry’s first high-impact and high-temperature thermoplastic material. The high-performance material is said to enable new AM applications for aerospace, automotive, and railway industries, enabling manufacturers to rapidly produce end parts that meet reliability, repeatability and performance standards.

The company says that Duratem offers impact resistance five times that of PEI 9085 while being ‘comparable’ in price. The new material can withstand temperatures of 150?C and is resistant to flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) and passed FAR 25.853 FST testing.

Essentium says that other HT materials on the market used for 3D printing, including PEI 9085, PEEK, PEKK, and PPS cannot withstand very high impact, and are expensive, which prohibits use in many applications.

Essentium says that Duratem is a versatile material suitable for a wide range of applications, from aerospace and automotive parts to maintenance uses such as replacing clamping blocks and switch covers. The company says it can also be used for railway components, including ventilators and covers.

Essentium used a multi-layered filament technology and worked with its partners in an open ecosystem to develop the material. The company is working with the U.S. Airforce to qualify Duratem for flight-worthy parts.

Duratem is an open material that can be used on high-temperature 3D printing machines, including the Essentium High-Speed Extrusion (HSE) 180 HT and HSE 280i HT 3D printing platforms. The material complies with Essentium’s certificate of conformance, which provides individual spool traceability through the ISO and AS9100 quality process.

Nirup Nagabandi, Ph.D., Vice President, Materials Engineering, Essentium said: “Innovative advancements in materials are fueling the adoption of AM in transportation industries. The expanding variety of materials, including Duratem, enables the production of high-performance parts suitable for diverse applications. Our focus on open materials reflects our dedication to providing customers with breakthrough materials and technologies that allow them to explore new possibilities in additive manufacturing.”

In later March 2023, Essentium announced the launch of its Essentium Parts On-Demand (EPOD) in-house production service powered by its High Speed Extrusion (HSE) 3D printing technology.

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